Tricyclic compounds having antimitotic and/or antitumor activity and methods of use thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides tricyclic compounds, pharmaceutically acceptable salts, prodrugs, solvates, or hydrates thereof, having antimitotic activity, anti-multidrug resistance activity, for example P-glycoprotein inhibition, and antitumor activity, and which inhibit paclitaxel sensitive and resistant tumor cells. Also provided are methods of utilizing these compounds for treating tumor cells and inhibiting mitosis of cancerous cells.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A compound comprising Formula I: 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         wherein both B and C rings may be completely or partially saturated or unsaturated with respect to bonds 4a-8a, 5-6 and 7-8; the C ring may have an R 4  attached to the C ring at positions 5, 6, 7 or 8, or a combination of one or more of these positions depending on the saturation level of the C ring and wherein R 4  may be the same or different when attached to a plurality of the 5, 6, 7, or 8 positions of the C ring; 
         R 1  and R 2  each independently is one of (a) a hydrogen (H), (b) an alkyl having from one to ten carbon atoms and having a straight or branched configuration, and wherein the alkyl is partially or completely saturated, or a substituted alkyl having from one to ten carbon atoms, (c) a cycloalkyl having from three to ten carbon atoms, or a substituted cycloalkyl having from three to ten carbon atoms, (d) an alkylcycloalkyl, or a substituted alkylcycloalkyl, (e) an aryl, or a substituted aryl, (f) an alkylaryl, or a substituted alkylaryl (g) a heteroaryl, or a substituted heteroaryl, (h) an alkylheteroaryl, or a substituted alkylheteroaryl, (i) an aromatic, or a substituted aromatic, and (j) a heteroaromatic, or a substituted heteroaromatic, and wherein each substituent of any said substituted group is the same or different and is selected from the group consisting of a straight or branched alkyl, alkenyl, or alkynyl, a cyclic or alicyclic group having from one to six carbon atoms, a heterocyclic group having from one to six carbon atoms, an alkoxy group, an aryloxy group, an alkyloxyaryloxy group, an aryl group, an amine, a halogen, a phenol, a naphthalene, a piperidine, a pyrrole, a ketone, a methylalkyl ketone, and a trifluoromethyl ketone, and wherein each of said substituents may itself be substituted, and wherein any of said substituents may be optionally attached by a CH 2  bridge, and wherein the substituent may be optionally partially or completely saturated or unsaturated when it is not represented by said halogen; 
         R 1  and R 2  are the same or different with the exception that R 1  and R 2  may not each be hydrogen at the same time; 
         R 3  is one of (a) a hydrogen (H), (b) a halogen, (c) an alkyl having from one to ten carbon atoms and having a straight or a branched configuration, and wherein the alkyl is partially or completely saturated; (d) an NH 2 , (e) an NHR 7 , (f) an NR 7 R 8 , (g) an OH, (h) an OR, (i) an SH, and (j) an SR, and wherein R is one of R 1 , and wherein R 7  and R 8  may be the same or different and are one of R 1 ; 
         R 4  is one of (a) R 1 , (b) a halogen, (c) a mono-, di-, tri- or tetra-substituted alkyl, and (d) an alkyloxy, and wherein R 1  is H or a lower alkyl and R 2  is H or a lower alkyl then R 4  is one of (a) a NR 6 R 7 , (b) a SR 6 , (c) a OR 6 , and (d) a CHR 6 R 7 , wherein R 6  and R 7  may be the same or different and are one of R 1  and R 2 ; 
         X is one of (a) a CR 5 , and (b) a CR 5 R 10 , wherein R 5  and R 10  may be the same or different and are one of R 1 ; and 
         Y is one of (a) a nitrogen (N), (b) an oxygen (O), (c) a sulfur (S), and (d) a CR 6 , wherein R 6  is one of R 1  and R 3 , and wherein when Y is O or S then either R 1  or R 2  is absent, and 
         optionally pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. 
       
     
     
       2. The compound of  claim 1  comprising wherein when the C ring is saturated or partially saturated, the substituted R 4  creates chirality when X is a C and R 6  and R 7  are different. 
     
     
       3. The compound of  claim 2  comprising stereoisomers thereof. 
     
     
       4. The compound of  claim 3  comprising a racemic and/or a diastereoisomeric mixture thereof.